A Petal For A Star
by thepiedownthehall
Summary: "Day by day and night by night we were together – all else has long been forgotten by me." — Walt Whitman Based off of beanpots day and night au on tumblr.
1. Chapter 1

In the beginning there was nothing

There was no light, no dark, no life and no death.

There was no is, no will be, or no has been.

Then from the nothingness grew Light.

The primordial being grew and made itself into something that would be worshiped for eons to come, earning the praise of future things for filling their eyes and giving them sight, for illuminating the surface of the world.

But with Light comes Darkness.

Darkness evolved into something beautiful, flowing and curling into the vast expanses of the universe where Light had yet to reach, earning a name and branding its place in the history of creation.

So began the Era of Birth.

Light and Dark soon fell deeply in love but kept it hidden, because both knew they were doomed to be separated for eternity, for Light and Dark cannot exist without each other, but they do not thrive under the other's realm. To distract from their despair Light and Dark began to create. First came the stars, made by Light and scattered throughout creation. Then came the sun, a brilliant orb that weakened Darkness' power. Darkness saw the beauty of Light's creation and attempted to create her own light, if to be closer to her love in whatever way possible. So Darkness created the moon, but due to Darkness' power it was rendered useless in making light.

Darkness wept at her failure, and from her tears was born the first ocean. Light saw Darkness and was horrified at her love's sadness, so she gave a sliver of silvery light to the moon and was able to see the beauty of Darkness' creation.

Light smiled at her love, and from her smile and her thoughts was formed the earth. Darkness jubilant at her creation used it to pull and push at the ocean, creating waves and tides. Light began to create plants and from their combined breaths the wind blew for the first time.

As Light and Darkness made more creations, they danced around each other, and began a cycle on the earth known as night and day.

Finally complete, Light and Dark attempted to be together, through the shadows of day and the stars and moonlight of night. But the lovers could not be joined. Succumbing to despair, both breathed life into the moon and sun, unknowingly giving them the longing for each other that couldn't be satiated. Darkness and Light held hands for the first and last time, and laid their heads down to sleep, tears spilling from their eyes. They were made into earth and stone, and from their eyes began to flow the water filled with their thoughts that created the Ocean of Dreams.

And so Dark and Light slept and the Sun and Moon awoke.

So began the Era of Skies

From the spirit of Darkness and Light grew the spirits of the Moon and Sun, now rulers of the skies in an age of the first humans and animals. The Sun and Moon began the cycle of day and night anew, circling each other as their creators did before them, and as their creators loved each other, so did they, but in their dance around the world, they could not reach each other.

So the Sun began to shine its light on the Moon, giving their love in whatever way they could. The Moon spread the darkness of its realm into the deepest oceans and forests of the realm of the Sun, giving their own gift in exchange. But the humans grew afraid of the dark, of the ideas now in their head of how unnatural it would be to have the Moon and Sun together. So the humans and animals kept them separated by fearing the darkness that the Moon brought and embracing the light of the Sun. But the Sun could not bear to see the Moon so saddened by the fear of the humans and began to shine brighter on the Moon. The humans grew even more wary of the love between the Moon and Sun as their days began to grow darker from the lack of attention from the Sun.

The Moon saw how the humans that loved the Sun were growing to hate it because of the Sun's love for the Moon and not the humans, and saw that they could not be happy together, and the Sun saw how the humans that they cared about were growing fearful and angry towards the Moon. So together they breathed their essence into the Night and Day and faded into little more than two spheres in the sky, hoping that maybe the love of two eras would finally be more than just a grasp at hope.

So awoke Night and Day and began the Era of Stars.

When Victor was born, he thought he was the only one.

He woke up staring at the Night Sky on a cold wooden floor, with the salty sweet smell of the Ocean of Dreams drifting through the air. He clambered to his feet, unsteady, dizzy, and disoriented on the undulating floor of the barge, and his heart grew heavy as he looked out at the ocean that reflected the stars up above. He felt almost... lonely and nostalgic? For what, he had no idea. Victor hadn't met anyone in the minute he'd been awake, and tried to shake off the feeling as the boat drifted through the water, but it wouldn't go away.

Victor shook his head and looked around, and there was no one to be seen. So he walked around the deck, maneuvering around the small open air cabin in the middle, and his feeling of loneliness grew. It was just him, the Ocean, and the Night Sky. Victor sighed, and laid down on the wooden floor again, his long silvery hair spreading behind him, and drifted off to sleep.

But when he woke up, his hand was in another's, and his eyes met those of someone with stars shimmering in their brown gaze.

And so the Day met the Night.

Yuuri had awoken alone. He saw wooden boards, pale blue skin, and shimmering robes. Loneliness gripped his heart in a fist. For some reason he felt disappointed that there wasn't anyone next to him, that there wasn't anyone holding his hand, waiting for him to wake up. He felt empty.

Then he looked up at the sky.

Shimmering stars and large swaths of blue, blacks, and purples streaked across the sky. The moon smiled onto him, beckoning him to join them up above, to take his place in the night. The feeling of loneliness vanished, leaving behind only a sting in the pit of his stomach, but the night sky commanded his attention too much to barely even acknowledge it. Yuuri was breathless. It seemed like it was made for him and only him, encompassing all that he was, completing him in the first few minutes of his awakening. If there was one place that he wanted to be, it was above, watching over the slumbering humans on the earth below. But there was more to be done before he could take his place, he could feel it.

He stood up on wobbly legs, quickly adjusting to the undulating floor, taking in the sight of the sea around him, peaceful and beautiful, reflecting the sky above. Shimmering shapes under the water darted past and under the boat, going in different directions without order or control. He dared to reach under the water and brush his hand against one of the shapes, and his mind was filled with images, a story, a thrilling flash of bright colors and ideas. Yelping he jerked back, and the remaining glow began to fade on his hand and his mind. The glowing dream began its frantic swim underwater again.

Yuuri backed away from the edge of the boat, fidgeting with the sleeve of his robe. That's when he noticed a shape on the other side of the barge, silvery hair and pale robes flowing in the breeze he hadn't noticed as they stood up on shaky legs, not seeming to have such quick sea legs as Yuuri. He watched from afar, wanting to get closer but without the faintest idea of what to do or say. When the person began to scan their surroundings, he ducked behind the small open-air cabin, hoping he wasn't seen, disappearing in the darkness when they began to look behind his hiding place. He waited a few minutes, then looked again. The person was curled up on the floor of the boat, and the easy up and down of their chest showed they was asleep. Yuuri crept closer, and remembering the deep feeling of loneliness in his heart when he woke up, he sat next to them.

Finally, he saw their face. It was a man, peaceful in sleep, with a pale, pinkish complexion, his mouth in a slight frown. His long silver hair was spread around him, giving him the illusion of a sort of halo. Confused, Yuuri noted that he seemed to be glowing with an unnatural pale-gold light, and that's when Night noticed that he himself gave off a silvery light in the darkness. His robes were gold and white, in contrast to the silver and black of Yuuri's simple robes. Instead of shimmering like Yuuri's robes did, they seemed to glow with more golden light. Everything about him seemed too light, too flashy for the simplistic beauty of nighttime. But Yuuri stayed, and the sting in his stomach faded completely. Grabbing the glowing man's hand hesitantly, he stayed, feeling happy, and hoping that the glowing man would be happy knowing someone was there.

The man stirred, his hand wrapping tightly around Yuuri's, and Yuuri could feel himself get a deeper shade of blue as the man looked up.

Finally blue eyes met brown.

And so the Night met the Day.

Day was disappointed when the chariot arrived.

Waking up again and feeling a hand in his own was much better than waking up alone. Night had stuttered once he tried to speak to Day, and Day found it incredibly adorable. They had introduced themselves, and Day had immediately felt comfortable with the blue-skinned man, the silver glow and dark scheme intriguing. Unfortunately, Night had seemed a bit uneasy around the brighter light of Day, and Day's heart sank.

Then the chariot arrived.

Hues of gold, orange, red, and yellow swirled and blended to create a beautiful painting of the sun. Golden decals, delicately crafted, shimmered in the light, little designs of clouds, suns, birds, and flowers looking lifelike, decorated the chariot. The wheels looked as if they were crafted from the sun itself, the spokes giving the illusion of being rays of light. Fiery horses huffed at the reins, their bridles glowing red. The chariot gave off its own bright light, illuminating the entire boat and the sea around it. Night felt suffocated in the heat, preferring the cool air of the sea breeze. Day seemed to revel in it, his hair shimmering with new light.

The horses whinnied impatiently, and seemed to beckon Day. Day was happy spending time with the shy Night, but didn't feel completely comfortable in the darkness of the nighttime. So he bid Night farewell with a kiss to the knuckles, turning the other's face an impressive shade of indigo.

As the chariot rose into the sky, Day turned and saw Night's boat turn the opposite way. Day's chariot finally stopped at a desolate field, the sun above illuminating the green grass, its glow seeming to beckon Day. So he stepped forward, and as he laid a hand on it, he understood what he had to do, how to continue the cycle of darkness and light, moon and sun, day and night, around the earth. Little did he know that Night was at an empty beach, holding the moon in his arms, seeing the same cycle, and understanding his job as the ruler of night.

And as Day began to raise the sun into the sky, from the delicate colors and diminishing shadows of the sunrise grew a new being. Dawn with his golden hair, green eyes, and fiery temper was the first to join Day in his court.

Then Day noticed how bland the sky looked, left with only a dull blue and sun to look down on the humans below, and when he noticed the discontentment from the mortals below, he was desperate to have them happy. As the want of beauty grew, the mortals thoughts swirled into the beginning of a being that was only completed when Day breathed life into it. Out came a young man, full of life and beauty, his blond hair, olive eyes, and sensual personality, who painted the sky with colors and shapes, appeasing the humans below. As the sun's revolution around the earth progressed, more and more beings began popping up, an old man with gray hair and a stern face, an older woman with sharp features and brown hair who always moved with grace, a boy with an unusual red tuft of hair and a cheery personality that commanded Spring, and a young dark haired man with gray-blue eyes and a brash, loud voice and over the top character who led Summer. Guards sprouted from the trees, two nymphs, one of them a young woman with red hair who called herself Mila, the other a young man with black hair who called himself Georgi.

The Painter began to create a court in the fields where the chariot was left, a court full of sun, warmth, surrounding the flowing river in between. Day found a court in the sky, empty, with 24 pillars, signifying each hour of each day. A throne of marble and gold, laid in one half, and a more graceful throne of obsidian and silver stood opposite. Next to each throne were smaller seats, a pink and copper colored one next to Day, and a blue and steel seat next to Night.

Day fashioned his robes from simple gold, yellow and white into an orange and blue cape, with clouds around his neck, a pale yellow tunic brushing against the floor, dark gloves covering his hands, and a crown fashioned of sunlight.

Once the daytime began to end and darkness began to take hold, Night readied himself, fashioning robes of the deepest blues, a necklace of darkness and moonlight, and a skirt and cape that seemed to be cut from the night sky itself. After pushing his hair back, he gently laid a crown made from the stars on his head. Then as the sun began to set, from the growing shadows and darkening blues and purples grew Dusk, a cheery man with dark skin and even darker hair. Dusk joined Night as his right hand man and Night began to take the moon on its dance around the earth.

Night's court grew as the darkness progressed, earning its own Painter, a stoic man with dark hair and pale skin. A graceful woman with long brown hair, a woman with a mix of blonde and dark hair who soon grew close to Night, two young men, one with shoulder length brown hair and tan skin who controlled Autumn, and the other with caramel hair and pink skin who controlled Winter. A young man with black hair and unsaturated blue skin emerged from his place in the moon, taking his place as the head guard of Night, called by mortals as the Man on the Moon, dubbed by his peers as Otabek. He was soon joined by a bulky man in simpler armor who went by the name of Takeshi.

Then from the merging of the Ocean of Dreams in the Night Kingdom and the River of Thought from the Day Kingdom sprouted twins with violet eyes, one who controlled sleep and dreams as she led the shimmering shapes in the Ocean to slumbering people around the world, the other who controlled consciousness and thought and led the flitting shapes in the River as he raced around the earth, neither under the jurisdiction of Day or Night.

As Day was leaving the Sky Court and Dusk led Night to the throne, Day craned to see the other king, but was ushered off by Dawn with just brief glance at starry robes and dark hair. And so, Night remained a mystery to the King of Day.

At least, until the Autumn Equinox that is.

"Tell me you're not wearing that to the Equinox."

Victor glanced down at his usual robes in surprise. "Why not? I think they are perfectly fine to wear to the celebration."

Christophe snorted. "You wear that practically every day. It would seem like you don't care and you don't want to give Yuuri a bad impression, right?"

Victor turned back to the mirror. "I don't foresee the King of Night paying any attention to me tonight."

"It's the Equinox Victor! He's going to have to talk to you, even if it's just to ask how you manage to take care of the skies for so long. Remember that he'll be ruling the skies for the majority of the 24 hours. Or you make the first move, start up a conversation."

Victor raised an eyebrow at his Painter. "He seems to be fairly capable of taking care of the skies no matter how many hours are in darkness. If we wants to be reserved and remain among the subjects of the Night Kingdom then I won't force him into a conversation."

Chris pouted. "But he's the _King_ of _Night._ You're the _King_ of _Day._ You're going to have to talk to him eventually. Might as well be now."

Victor pinched the bridge of his nose and turned to say something before Dawn spoke up from the sofa. "Shut _up_ , for Gaia's sake. The celebration begins in an hour and there are more important things to do than argue about the relationship between Victor and the King of Night. Chris if you're going to the party then I suggest you get changed, and don't wear that disgusting outfit from the Summer Solstice. Victor put on something else, otherwise Lilia and Yakov will murder you, slowly and painfully."

"Oh, you think my outfit from the Solstice is disgusting? I'll wear something better then. There's no better night to show off more of my assets to the Night Kingdom, is there?" Chris teased, winking at Yuri, who gagged.

Victor laughed at the memory of Lilia and Yakov turning purple in the face at the barely-considered-decent robes from the Summer Solstice. Chris had practically stolen the show from JJ, who was _literally Summer_ , and turned many heads, especially from the Night Kingdom. The vast majority had squawked and quickly turned back to whatever they were doing but a few stared after Chris, not knowing what to do in the situation. For a split second Victor wished he had seen Yuuri's face, but then he remembered Yuuri hadn't attended.

The King of Night really was a mystery to Victor.

As Chris walked to door, he shot one last look at Victor, a _wear-something-that-the-night-kingdom-will-consider-impressive-or-_ I- _will-be-the-one-doing-the-slow-and-painful-murdering-tonight_ look, blew a kiss at Yuri, who turned scowled, and then sauntered down the hallway to his own chambers.

Victor sighed, and opened his closet. He had no clue what could possibly be impressive to the Night Kingdom, and told the herald of Dawn as much. Yuri just raised an eyebrow. "Of course you don't. You're _Night_ and _Day._ Ever heard of 'they were as different as night and day'? There's a reason behind that saying."

"Then how am I supposed to impress the Yuuri?"

"How should I know?"

" _Because,_ you're the bridge between Night and Day, just like Dusk."

Yuri scowled at the mention at Dusk. He had never really liked how people always compared Dawn and Dusk, the bridges between the two kingdoms, one who brought light the other dark. Victor had seen how much he avoided the dark skinned Dusk at celebrations, and multiple times Lilia had scolded Yuri about his behavior towards Dusk.

"Maybe you should ask Dusk about what he would deem impressive then."

Victor sighed, then turned back to his closet. "You are of no help."

"You're welcome."

He didn't even know why he was looking for something that would make Yuuri impressed. Victor remembered clearly how uncomfortable Yuuri was at the golds, yellows, oranges, and whites when they met, and Victor had literally nothing _but_ golds, yellows, oranges, and whites in his closet, with a smattering of bright blues every once in a while. He was _freaking Day_. What else was he supposed to have?

Frustrated he pulled out a robe, white with gold embroidery on the torso that spread down like the sun's rays on the pale, pale blue that slowly blended on the skirt. The shoulders were a gradient, becoming sheerer as it reached the wrists, where from a golden cuff sprouted more delicate gold designs. Shrugging, he tugged out the matching cape, made of golden feathers where it attached to the shoulders, and turning white as it reached the floor, making it almost look like he had wings. Victor shooed Yuri out of the room and summoned some of the nymphs that worked around the palace to help with the buttoning up of the robe and attaching the cape with small, delicate pins shaped like the sun.

Yakov came barging into his room as Victor was getting his crown, wearing his own party robes, pristine as he always had to be, being one of the royal ambassadors of Day.

"Hurry up Vitya, the celebration is going to commence in half an hour."

Victor put on his crown, and turned to Yakov. "How do I look?"

"Royal, like you should look. Thank Gaia that you didn't wear your usual robes."

Victor sent Yuri and Chris a quick mental thank you. "Let's get going, shall we?"

Yakov and Victor went down the grand staircase, and met the rest of his court in the foyer of the palace. Yuri was wearing modest but fancy clothes, his skirts and tunic more vibrant than usual, with more embroidery along the edges, and an intricate design that began on his heart and spread in tendrils around the clothes, bringing out the soft colors of sunrise.

His guards were wearing nice but comfortable tunics and pants, a sword strapped to their belts, allowing them enough movement without getting stuck on long skirts. Lilia was wearing an elegant dress that flowed like water, matching her gracefulness. And Chris... decided to be a bit more decent than last time, scrapping the previous idea of being _less_ decent (probably with Yakov's intervention), but was still receiving murderous looks from Lilia, and a few snickers from Mila. JJ had already gone ahead to the Sky Court per the norm, along with Minami who was probably obsessing over Night at that very moment.

Together the group began to make its way to the Sky Court, the fiery horses of Victor's chariot lugging along a carriage instead, traveling through the ever growing darkness of nighttime.

When they finally touched down on the smooth crystal floors of the Sky Court, Victor was the last to get out. The courtyard trees were slowly turning from the bright green of summer into the reds, oranges, yellows, and browns of autumn, and from their branches hung ribbons and streamers. The grasses were yellowing and the crinkling of crops growing was filling the air, the smell so vastly different to the fresh scent of spring or the heat of summer. Yuri actually seemed to be smiling, probably enthralled by the colors and the smell of cinnamon, apples, and warm fires. A few tables were scattered here and there, decorated with overflowing cornucopias and leaves frozen in bronze, probably there for party-goers that wanted to escape the frenzy of the celebration.

Then Victor and his court walked into the main hall, the two thrones on opposite sides, and he forgot how to breathe.

So far there had only been celebrations for Day since Night began to command the skies for longer only as Autumn came, so the court was always sunny, decorated with golden streamers, bright colors, and cheery decorations, almost blunt and in your face. Victor had never actually _been_ in the Sky Court during the night so seeing the hall in a new light (or lack thereof) was a bit disconcerting.

It was clear the Night Kingdom wasn't as flashy as the Day Kingdom, but they seemed very experienced in using subtle and more elegant decorations than Victor's court did. There were ribbons hanging from the pillars, starting at midnight with a dark blue of total darkness, and reaching the lightest blue at the twelfth pillar, marking noon, until it grew darker again to match the same shade at midnight.

Soft orbs of starlight hovered here and there, lighting the room enough to see and make out details, but still maintaining the image of slumbering, peaceful night. The moon shone overhead, and the tables had small candelabras that shone on the guests faces. The seats seemed to be made of white birch, with silver cushions. The buffet tables had food that looked and smelled so delectable that Victor's mouth watered, and the bubbling champagne on the drink table was enticing. Many guests had actually already arrived, nymphs laughing and dancing, some other Night Kingdom guests chatting among themselves. A few went silent when they noticed Victor and his yellow glow, but quickly bowed as he passed.

Victor went around greeting people like a proper king, but soon grew tired, as most were Night Kingdom guests that seemed intimidated by the Day Court. He walked to the champagne, and was sipping from a glass when Dusk walked in, wearing elegant clothes in dark hues that complemented his skin nicely. With a bright voice, he announced the entrance of the King of Night.

"His royal highness, King Katsuki Yuuri of Night."

Then Yuuri himself walked in, and Victor nearly choked on his drink.

Flanked by two men in elegant tunics and pants, Yuuri was a sight to behold. A dark blue coat buttoned to the neck that opened at the waist and flowed to the floor was speckled with starlight. Underneath all that peeked out was a flowing black skirt that split open at the knees and let through legs clad in a dulled silver and blue slippers. The movement of his long sleeves gave him an appearance of ultimate grace, and the blue of his skin was a bit flushed. Yuuri's hair was slicked back, and on top perched a delicately crafted crown of starlight. He stopped at the dais of his throne, and began to speak in a delicate but loud voice. Even his voice seemed to make him more attractive.

Victor could feel his own face flush a bit. Chris was instantly at his side, whistling under his breath. "If you don't end up taking him to bed tonight, _I will."_

He glared at his friend and kicked him in the shin. "Don't say that so loud. Besides, even if I felt about him in that way, he clearly doesn't care about me," he hissed under his breath.

Chris raised an eyebrow. "You don't think he's attractive?"

"I didn't say that."

"Good. Otherwise I would've thought you were already drunk on champagne. Or blind."

The music had started up again by then, Yuuri finished with thanking his guests, but the two friends hadn't noticed.

Victor smiled. "I've been trying to figure out the King of Night for some time now. I would've noticed when he walked into a room before. Now I'm paying double the attention."

"I think he is too."

"What?"

"Turn around." Chris hissed, a teasing undertone to his voice.

Victor blanched and turned around, and was met with a warm brown gaze. Thankfully, Yuuri was too far away to overhear, but nonetheless started at being caught staring, and quickly turned. Victor chuckled a bit, as he noticed how Yuuri turned a deeper shade of blue. Dusk was at Yuuri's side, and he seemed to be teasing Yuuri. Yuuri quickly sent a glare at his friend, and then seemed to grow a bit pale at what Dusk was saying. They kept on having a small argument, Yuuri shaking his head and Dusk snickering, before calling over a woman with brown hair that moved with the same grace as Lilia and wore the special patch that marked her as an ambassador for Night. The woman seemed to agree with Dusk, just more serious than Dusk was. Yuuri's shoulders dropped, defeated, and then Dusk was pulling him along quickly, ignoring Yuuri's yelp and protests.

Chris and Victor both chuckled a bit, until they realized that the King of Night was being pulled towards them. "I'm leaving. This conversation between two Kings will not be involving me," Chris snickered, then whispered, "Good luck!" Before turning on his heel and disappearing into the crowd. Victor cursed him under his breath, before turning and meeting Dusk face to face. He jumped back a bit, surprised, and then smiled at the dark skinned man.

"Hello Dusk. It's a pleasure finally meeting you."

Dusk smiled broadly. "Call me Phitchit, your highness. It's a pleasure finally meeting you as well; I hope you've had a good day?"

Victor nodded, and began to open his mouth to speak before Phitchit shoved Yuuri in front of Victor, practically nose to nose. Both of them blushed, Yuuri making a small squeak before stepping back.

"Your Highness, meet the King of the Night. Yuuri was been waiting to speak to you for a while."

Victor was taken aback.

"Really?"

"What!"

Both of them had spoken at the same time, and Phitchit's grin grew even wider. Victor glanced at Yuuri, who looked like he wanted to disappear and was sending his herald a look of _why-are-you-doing-this-to-me._ Victor almost laughed, before he spoke. "I've been trying to approach Yuuri for a while, but Dawn and my ambassadors always usher me off before I can speak to him."

"Well you can speak to him now! I'll leave you two alone for a while then." Phitchit smiled, sending a quick look to his friend before walking off.

Yuuri seemed to be wanting to become one with the floor.

"How come you never come to parties?"

Yuuri seemed taken aback. "What?"

"Why don't you come to the celebrations held here? I'm assuming you would've rather been at your home if you weren't required to be here."

The other king nodded slowly, wringing his hands, which Victor noticed, had a sparkling skintight cloth on them. "I just like the comfort of being in a quiet, peaceful, place instead. Parties seem to be very... loud. There's a lot of people watching your every move, especially when you're a king."

Victor knew the feeling. As much as he enjoyed the celebrations, the expectations of being king weighed heavily. "Yakov and Lilia can be such a pain in the neck sometimes about my appearance and manners. I assume your ambassadors are the same?"

He laughed. "No, not at all. Minako can be a bit strict every once in a while, but Mari is very lenient about it. If anyone is constantly hovering over me it's my head of the guard, Otabek," he said motioning to a serious young man who was ignoring the flirts of a few tree nymphs. Yuuri smiled. "He almost came in his armor."

Victor clicked his tongue. He could never imagine Georgi and Mila doing that and told Yuuri as such. They continued conversation for a few more minutes, Yuuri finally opening up a bit. Then Victor made the mistake of asking how Yuuri felt about taking over for most of the day now, and Yuuri clammed up in a heartbeat, excusing himself with a shaky voice and walking away with a glass of champagne in hand. Victor almost called after him until Chris and Yuri came over.

"What happened?! You two were getting along perfectly! I was already planning the wedding!" Chris whined. Yuri elbowed him in the stomach, before turning back to Victor. "What stupid thing did you say this time?"

"I just asked him how he felt about ruling for the majority of the day."

"That's a bit of a touchy subject for King Yuuri, your highness," said a voice from behind them.

Victor turned. Behind him was Yuuri's guard, Otabek, looking a bit amused. Victor nodded his head once in greeting. "Why is that?"

Otabek slowly walked to the buffet table, Victor, Yuri, and Chris walking next to him, Victor quickly snatching a glass of champagne from off the table. Otabek stood in front of the buffet table, letting someone get around him every once in a while if need be. Then he sighed.

"How much do you know about the Night Kingdom your highness?"

Victor shrugged. "Not much."

"I assumed so. You see King Victor, the Night Kingdom isn't as blessed as the Day Kingdom is. When you see the world below you, what do you observe?"

Yuri was the one who spoke up this time. "There are people frolicking about, animals everywhere. Usually there's children out unless Chris decides to give the mortals a storm or bad weather."

"Now look down at the night world."

All of them did so, and noticed that even though it was dark and most should've been slumbering, a vast majority of the lights in the houses were lit, candles at the windowsills, or lanterns glowing out in the streets. What few mortals were out and about were hurrying back and forth, even with lanterns. A few even had weapons.

"Why are so many people hurrying? Your Painter did an excellent job at making the sky look beautiful," Chris remarked, raising an eyebrow at the guard.

"Because they're afraid. They don't like what comes out in the dark. Only a small portion of mortals look up at the night sky and see its beauty. The rest only see the threat that it poses, the threat of what's hiding in the shadows. Many sleep with the candles providing a small bit of light and protection against whatever haunts them in the shadows. The streets are vacated quickly, and many are not too far away from their weapons. They're afraid of the thieves, the criminals that come out, of the wild wolves, the bears, and any other threat that could possibly be there. The mortals have even come up with an explanation for their unfounded fears, a so called 'boogeyman' that only comes out in the darkness, at nighttime.

But the Night Kingdom hasn't made anything to harm the humans. The wolves won't bother you unless you bother them, a bear has no need for a human death unless you bother her cubs. We rule the stars and moon to give them light, but they choose their own over what we offer. Threats such as criminals and boogeymen are made from humans, not from us. But they are still terrified of us."

Otabek's expression grew pained.

"Sure, back at the palace we are happy in each other's company, but people are becoming more and more angry. Our Painter, Seung-gil doesn't smile anymore, except in the rarest occasions. You should know how much effort is put into making the sky beautiful, yet the mortals don't pay attention to his work. The moon has whispered secrets into my ear of how mortals grew to hate the moon since it marked the beginning of the night. So King Yuuri has been especially anxious about how the mortals will act when being under his reign longer. He just wants to please them, make them see night as it should be, but the mortals don't seem to be that willing to change. His anxiety gets the best of him every once in a while at he can do rude or strange things, so don't take it badly about how he left."

Victor smiled and was going to say something before he was being dragged along by Yakov and Lilia as they spoke with the Night Ambassadors, Lady Minako and Mari. As they dragged him through the gaping double doors to force him into conversation, he could see a commotion in behind him and loud, angry protests that sounded like Yuri was being dragged into a...

"Get away! I don't want to see who the better dancer is!"

... _dance_ _contest?_

After a boring 20 minutes of conversation, the younger one, Mari, noticed Victor and told him to go back to the party, that the matters didn't concern him much and they would tell him the important information later.

Gratefully, he stood and walked through the double doors again and maneuvered through the crowd, looking for Chris and Yuri again, when he noticed something in the middle of the room.

'Oh, there's a pole in the middle of the room, that's strange and _Gaia's tits_ Chris why are you hanging from a pole _practically naked in front of everyone_ oh and someone's on the pole with you and freaking _motherofallthatsholy is that the King of Night on that pole with you.'_

Victor's heart stopped. Yuuri had shed his long coat, skirt, and, yes, _pants_ at some point when he was gone, and was left in only tight fitting underwear and a sheer, practically skin tight shirt that made his torso shimmer in the light, his clearly toned body straining as he held himself up with one loose hand and two very muscular thighs.

 _"His anxiety gets the best of him every once in a while at he can do rude or strange things."_

 _Well then, Yuuri._

Chris seemed to notice Victor standing with his jaw to the floor. He gracefully got off and walked over to his King, slick with sweat. "It seems you have more competition than just me if you want to take Yuuri to bed now."

"I-i-what happened?!" Victor stammered.

Chris laughed and began to speak before-

"The freak got drunk off his ass and challenged me to a dance off before stripping and dancing on a pole!" Yuri snarled, looking disheveled, his usually sleek hair giving him the appearance of angrily letting birds roost on his head. His jacket was falling off on one shoulder and he angrily pushed it back up.

"You should probably watch your tone. He is a king after all," Victor said, a hint of a smile in his voice. Yuuri scowled and glanced back at said king who was currently hanging off a pole with barely any clothes on. "He doesn't make much of a better impression than you did at the Solstice."

"I was just as drunk as Yuuri is now."

"Which still isn't acceptable of a king, dumbass."

Victor shrugged, but he knew Yuri was right. Yakov would've murdered him the next morning if his unholy hangover didn't claim him beforehand. Even if he was a celestial being, he did have some limitations, and his alcohol intake was one of them.

Then the music changed, to a quick jig that the Day Kingdom guest immediately recognized as one of their traditional tunes. Many of them quickly began dancing with a partner, laughing as they flew through the hall. Victor chuckled as the expressions of the Night Kingdom guests grew more perplexed, until he realized that they weren't paying attention to the music, but to what their king was doing.

He was _dancing._

It was clear he had no clue how. Not that Yuuri couldn't dance, no not at all. Actually quite the opposite. The music seemed to flow from his body as he moved along the ballroom, his coat (that he at least remembered to put on after he got down from the pole, but forgot to button up) was flowing as he whirled. It was just that Yuuri was a member of the _Night_ Kingdom, and this dance was traditionally to the Day Court. So every once in a while, he stumbled from both drunkenness and confusion as he tried to copy the couples dancing around him.

Chris laughed good naturedly. "You know, that would be a lot easier if he had a partner."

Victor smiled. "I don't think it'll take long for someone to become his partner."

"Thank you for volunteering."

"I-what?"

"Go up there Victor," Chris sighed. "Besides, isn't it a tradition or something to have a dance between the two kings?"

"I've never heard of that. And he's drunk. What if he doesn't want me to be his partner?"

Chris raised an eyebrow. "It wouldn't hurt to try."

 _Yes it could._

But he shrugged, unpinned his cape, and slowly made his way to the front of the crowd, smiling more and more as he observed Yuuri slowly get more used to the song and slowly not begin to care how he danced. Finally, Victor made his move.

He stepped on the dance floor, behind Yuuri and began to dance, his feet following the rhythm of the song by muscle memory alone. A few people gasped, but he didn't care. The King of Night kept on dancing, his back still to Victor. Slowly Victor got closer and when Yuuri spun, Victor gently grabbed his hands. Yuuri seemed shocked, even embarrassed in his drunken state, but he didn't pull away.

Victor smiled at him, and then he began to dance, Yuuri following his lead hesitantly and a bit clumsily. After a minute or so, Yuuri relaxed and followed Victor's lead more enthusiastically, his smile growing wider. They spun, laughed, danced like they were one being, and the music seemed to grow louder until Victor couldn't hear anything else. Or was he just blocking everything else out because nothing else mattered but Yuuri and Victor's dance?

Then Yuuri dipped him, and Victor yelped. Yuuri laughed and oh, his laugh was so contagious. Victor began to laugh as well, and he held Yuuri by the arm, the other hand going up to his back. And when Yuuri's hand went up to caress his face, his nerves tingled, his face turning red as both men smiled at each other, Yuuri's brown eyes twinkling with starlight.

So they danced and danced until Victor thought he could no longer go on, but Yuuri was simply unable to be tired. Finally Victor pulled Yuuri to a stop, panting from the exertion. The song had changed a long time ago, and they hadn't noticed. Yuuri was sweating too, so he slid off his coat, and Victor stiffened.

That's when it happened.

Yuuri leapt onto Victor, pulling him into a droopy hug. And apparently all qualms about decency went out the window, because Yuuri actually - _actually-_ began to dance, his hips rocking and bumping and, _Gaia help me,_ because the bucking of his hips looked very indecent but Victor couldn't find it in himself to care.

"Victoorr, the palace is so dark without you there, you should come visit, or maybe I could visit you, I've heard so many stories of your flowers and daytime."

Victor looked at him confused. _No flowers?_

"Hey I have an idea! Why don't you come over and help me rule the night sky! You'll do it, right Victor? Come on, rule next to me!" And Gaia help him, because the statement could be read so differently and his reputation was probably on the line, but all he could focus on was Yuuri and how everyone else would probably be seeing him as a drunken king at his lowest with a flushed, sweaty face, even though the only thing Victor could see was the King of Night more beautiful than anything he had ever witnessed, and that he would repeat this night over and over again because he managed to see Yuuri in so many ways and each one was more precious than the last.

And that was the instant that the Day fell in love with the Night.


	2. Chapter 2

When Yuuri found the first rose he thought it was an accident.

It was about a month after the Equinox and night was getting longer and longer by the day, until it would take over for winter, some places not even seeing sunlight at all.

He had been fidgeting with his sleeves, thoughts of angry humans and hatred towards his kingdom speeding through his mind. Phichit had looked at him with worry and grabbed his hand, assuring him that everything would be okay.

They had walked into the Sky Court, just barely catching a fleeting glimpse of Dawn and Day as they left. Victor had looked over his shoulder and smiled when he saw Yuuri.

Yuuri pretended not to notice.

He knew it was a bit rude, but ever since he left the other king at the Autumn Equinox he had felt a bit ashamed at leaving Victor behind and assumed the other man was just being courteous and didn't want anything to do with him.

Yuuri didn't see Victor wilt at the dismissal.

That was when he noticed something on his throne.

The black and silver of his throne seemed too brutal for the rose on the seat. Its crimson petals curled delicately, and those thorns that Yuuri had always heard of weren't there. He picked up the flower gently, Phichit's eyes widening as he saw it, and turned to call out to Victor.

But the other king had already left.

Phichit grinned. "It seems the king does want something to do with you after all."

Yuuri dismissed the idea. The King of Day, the man he'd admired for so long in his sunny splendor, wanting something to do with him? Especially after the Equinox?

"Impossible."

His dark skinned herald frowned. "Then how do you explain this?" He motioned at the flower. Yuuri shrugged. "He dropped it on accident?"

"On _your_ throne? If he dropped it on accident on his way out then he could've easily dropped it on my throne. Or the floor."

"It's a coincidence."

"Unlikely."

Yuuri handed the rose to Phichit. "I don't want it to die. It'll probably take a bit longer to wilt if it's in your hands."

Phichit accepted the rose but sighed. "I'm telling you, it's for _you!_ "

Yuuri shook his head. "Can you tell Dawn to return it to him once he comes back? Now come on, we have a moon to rise."

The other man shook his head, disappointed, but followed his king as he started the moon off on its journey around the earth.

Victor wouldn't stop.

Not after a week, not after a month.

Every day, Yuuri found another rose on his throne, and his argument to Phichit that it was just an accident grew weaker with every red petal found.

But nonetheless, Yuuri kept on sending them back. Phichit usually returned them after a quick argument, telling his friend that " _the roses are for you, Yuuri!"_ Every once in a while he kept them, but Yuuri quickly found out and sent back both roses.

And still, every time Yuuri went to rule the Sky Court, there was a rose on his throne. Yuuri knew that, while Victor might be able to keep this up for however long he wished, Yuuri would cave in eventually.

Phichit knew it too and his grin grew more gleeful as every day passed.

 _Bastard._

Word began to be sent back to the Night Kingdom, and people at the Moon Palace began to take Phichit's side more and more, especially those who knew about Yuuri's admiration of the King of Day. A few ocean nymphs even threw him jealous looks every once in a while.

Yuuko, an ocean nymph that married Takeshi and was a quick friend, was one of the more supportive friends Yuuri had. Even though he could tell that she was a bit disappointed that he didn't pursue Victor like everyone thought he should, she didn't press and supported him in his admiration from afar, which was supposed to be the only interaction between the two kings. The shy Night smiling at the glowing Day, while Day outshone the Night at every sunrise.

Finally, Yuuri reached his breaking point.

It came when he found, instead of a single rose, a _whole bouquet of them._

Phichit's triumphant grin told Yuuri his argument had crumbled the instant he laid eyes on the flowers.

Yuuri felt his cheeks grow hot as he held the roses and the implications behind them sunk in.

"I-W-Uhm-What do I do?"

Phichit gaped. "What do you mean what do you do?! Go to him! Answer him for Gaia's sake!"

"Answer him? I can't-that's not-!" Yuuri made a despaired noise. Yuuri didn't want to see the Victor, especially after their last disastrous meeting. Well, that wasn't entirely true. Yuuri still admired the other king, and he couldn't deny that Victor was attractive. Spending even a little bit of time talking to the other king had made him feel shy and he could've sworn there had been no moths in the vicinity so how were they in his stomach?

And then Victor had mentioned the lengthening of night and the rush of anxiety had made him run away like a blubbering idiot then drink until he couldn't remember his name and passed out.

He highly doubted that would be attractive to _anyone._

Phichit groaned. "Yuuri you've lost your mind. Why can't you answer?"

"Because what could I have done to be the object of his affections? Phichit you know as well as I do that even _thinking_ that Victor likes me is absurd and one of the most unlikely things I've ever heard."

"I wouldn't be so sure."

Yuuri glanced at his friend. "Why?"

"Because you're an amazing person?"

"He's barely met me! And getting drunk and passing out in a dark corner makes me seem irresponsible."

"You got drunk?"

"...yes."

"And you're sure all you did was pass out?"

"Positive?"

"What else would I have done?"

Phichit shrugs. "You can be fairly wild when you're drunk. The last few times we had a party at the Moon Palace you acted... very drunk."

Yuuri buried his face in his hands, feeling the heat rise in his face. "We agreed never to speak of that again."

"Okay, okay! Now don't you have a moon to rise?"

Yuuri glanced at the bouquet, gave it to Phichit carefully, and gently laid a hand on the moon. His choker was at a full moon, mimicking the actual moon. He gently led it to Dusk's realm on the clock in the hall, its glow leaving everything silvery. He waved his hand and the moon began its dance around the planet.

Yuuri and Phichit refrained from mentioning the flowers until the soft pinks of dawn began to bloom on the horizon. Phichit glanced at his king. "So?"

Yuuri bit his lip anxiously. It was clear now that Victor meant to give him the flowers. Why, he had no clue. And either way, the roses would wilt quickly in his realm. There was no sunlight.

He had to return them.

 _But not_ _without_ _a response._

"Give me the flowers."

Phichit handed them over. Yuuri held them gently. Phichit glanced quickly at the brighter horizon and saw how he was quickly using up his time in the court. He motioned helplessly at the exit, and Yuuri nodded vaguely, looking around for something.

Phichit glided out of the door, peeked at Yuuri one last time, and then left. Yuuri finally found what he needed, and was folding up the note and tucking it into the bouquet when-

"What are you doing?"

Yuuri yelped, turning to find himself face to face with Dawn. He had never noticed how golden his hair was, how green his eyes were, and how young he was. Dawn was very pretty.

But _by Gaia,_ was he intimidating.

Those green eyes were narrowed, his mouth set in a frown, a delicate eyebrow cocked in an almost mocking way. His arms were crossed, and he seemed to tower over Yuuri even though he was almost a head shorter.

"I-Can you take this back?"

Dawn looked at the bouquet in shock and then scowled. "Victor is going to have a fit," he hissed under his breath. "I'll return them, but I won't promise that his dumb ass'll stop sending roses."

Yuuri gaped at Dawn. He insulted Victor like it was second nature.

"Don't you have a moon to set? Victor will be here any moment and won't let you leave if he sees you returning the roses," Dawn warned, a teasing undertone in his voice at Yuuri's expression. Then his voice turned sour. "The idiot hasn't been entirely focused on his work for a month and it's starting to show. Today will probably be worse."

Yuuri blushed, then turned on his heel. He paused quickly, then faced Dawn once more. "Why has he been sending roses?"

Dawn scoffed. "Because he's a love-struck idiot and wanted to show you that. Annoying me to no end was an unintentional benefit, but one nonetheless."

Yuuri nearly choked. _Love-struck?_ Then Dawn turned as he heard a cherry voice and the sunlight got brighter. Yuuri was supposed to have left already and his time was running short. Dawn hissed, turned and pushed Yuuri quickly through the doorway, and Yuuri flew out of the Sky Court, moon in tow. He heard Dawn calling out to Victor before he was cut off and the door closed.

"OI, VICTOR."

Victor turned away from the rose bushes he was examining, trying to find another one to give to Yuuri, scrutinizing every little detail, finding every little flaw possible and deeming it unacceptable.

It was a good thing he had until nighttime to find another one.

Victor turned towards Yuri, beaming. He had been hoping for the best all night, waking Chris and Yuri up at unholy hours to babble about the man who was currently up in the sky court. Chris was mainly amused, but spent a few minutes in bed glaring at Victor with fond irritation. Yuri on the other hand almost murdered Victor and gave him a nasty bruise when he realized he was awake so his king could gush about the object of his affections.

Frankly, Victor could care less about the dull throb in his ribs.

Especially when the pain in his heart was so much worse when he saw the bouquet in Yuri's hands.

"He gave them back," Yuri said, stating the glaringly obvious. Victor felt his heart drop. He knew he shouldn't feel this way, he should be used to it after more than a month of rejection, but it hurt more than usual. There was no way that Yuuri couldn't at least have an idea of Victor's feelings towards him, especially after last night's flowers. Yuuri was a smart man, and it was glaringly obvious what Victor meant with the roses, so did that mean...

It was clear that Yuuri was rejecting him. It was painfully obvious that whatever happened at the banquet was just senseless actions in a drunken stupor. It was probably chance that Victor had been closest to Yuuri, and Yuuri would've likely acted the same towards anyone. He certainly didn't have a problem with stripping down with Chris.

"For Gaia's sake Victor, don't pull all that mopey, heartbroken shit now. It's not like you haven't been rejected by him before, so get your act together. We can't have another disaster like last time."

Victor winced. The first time he had been rejected he'd been so heartbroken that he'd lost track of time and the sun didn't rise until noon. Yakov had almost ripped him from limb to limb, Yuri had pulled him from the ears into the sky court, and Chris couldn't help but snicker.

He remembered how Chris had assured him when he was sitting dejectedly in his throne, telling him that Yuuri probably thought it was an accident and had at least some feelings towards him, otherwise he wouldn't have asked Victor to rule by his side. "Even in an alcohol induced blabber fest there couldn't be anyone else that he could've been talking to. You two are the only rulers up here."

Victor still held on to the glimmer of hope that Chris' comment sparked in his chest, but it hardly did much to dull the heartbroken feeling in his chest before, and even less now. He knew his misery was written plainly on his face, because Yuri sighed.

"Victor, you need to get your ass out there and give the humans a sunrise. You can mope afterwards, or come back and give him another rise. Whatever you think will get you more focused on your job and distracted from your..."

Yuri drifted off, and Victor turned towards him, raising an eyebrow. Yuri always finished his thoughts and something must be wrong for him not to finish the sentence.

That's when Victor noticed the slip of paper tucked into the bouquet. Victor practically tackled Yuri, but Yuri jumped out of the way, leaving Victor to trip and land on his knees.

"You're out of your mind if you think you're getting this before you get out there and give those humans a goddamn sunrise. I can't touch the sun, otherwise the days would run a lot more smoothly, so hurry up old man!"

"Age isn't something we can argue about Yuri, we're immortal."

Yuri scowled and waved the note tauntingly. Victor pouted. _Rude._

As soon as Yuri was satisfied with Victor's job, he handed over the note, just as Chris waltzed through the door.

"Hey Victor. Was the bouquet a succe- oh," he said as he noticed the roses in Yuri's arms, "Victor I'm-"

Victor covered Chris' mouth with a gloved hand. "It's fine. I got this with the flowers."

Chris raised a perfectly groomed brow as he noticed the note. "Have you opened it yet?"

Yuri scoffed. "If he had opened it, he would probably be plucking petals off of a flower and doing that stupid 'he loves me, he loves me not' thing." Victor sent Yuri a glare, but couldn't really deny it, so he unfolded the note.

 _The roses are beautiful King Victor, but it is with a heavy heart I must return them._

 _Flowers do not thrive in my realm, for there is no sunlight. I can't bear to see them wilt, and wish to keep them forever. I hope the return of the roses will not offend you._

Victor beamed. Yuuri wasn't rejecting him. Yuuri just couldn't have flowers with him!

 _Yuuri couldn't have flowers with him._

"Yuri come on! We're going to the Night Kingdom."

"What?!" Chris and Yuri yelped.

"But first I need Chris' help to-"

"No no no no. We're not going to Night Kingdom," Yuri interrupted. "We can't just go over unannounced! And you can't just leave the Sky Court for no good reason!"

"But it is a good reason Yuri!"

"Having a silly crush isn't a good reason!"

Chris laughed. "Just let the man be. I'll help him do whatever he needs."

Yuri groaned and knew he wasn't going to win this argument, so Victor dragged Chris into the garden. Chris glanced at Victor. "What are we doing in the garden?"

"Because we're giving Yuri flowers."

"Yuri just said that he has no way to let flowers thrive in his realm."

"So we create one that does."

Chris gaped. "What? How?"

"That's for you to figure out."

Victor smiled as he saw Chris' expression. "I can still help you."

"Good. Otherwise I would force you to sit here and help me."

Victor laughed, and both of them got to work, manipulating the amount of light, molding the petals. By the time they finished, both were exhausted, and there were only five hours left until sunset.

Chris handed him the flower. Victor applauded him, he had done a good job. Its petals were closed growing from a thick, spiny stem.

Victor held it gingerly in its pot, smiling at it.

"Now get going you hopeless fool!" Chris nudged him towards his carriage, Yuri waiting with an irked look. "Where the hell are Mila and Georgi?"

Victor shrugged. "Why does it matter? Who do you think would possibly hurt me in Yuuri's realm?"

"Not everyone looks up to Day you know. Some inhabitants of the Night Kingdom probably think you take away his thunder. Just like we're protective and loyal to you, they're just as loyal to the other Yuuri."

Victor smiled. "I'll be fine." Yuri scowled. "Fine. Let's go."

"'Let's?"

Yuri rolled his eyes. "You can't possibly think I'm leaving you alone, especially with no guards."

"My hero! I'll make sure to mention your bravery to that head guard of Yuuri's," Victor winked. Yuri's scowl deepened, but his cheeks reddened a bit. Since the Equinox Yuri had been intrigued by that guard Otabek and Chris and JJ were always a bit more than happy to tease him about it.

They got in the chariot until Chris laughed. "You do realize that you can't go to the Night Kingdom without a boat right? It's an island." Victor frowned. "Then let's get one?"

Chris sighed and they went to the River of Thought. Yuri and Victor boarded the boat that Yakov and Lilia used to get to the Night Kingdom, and soon enough, they were there. Multiple sea nymphs hissed and scowled at the sudden light from the fiery boat as they arrived at the palace, and walked into the courtyard of the palace, the silvery columns and dark hues of the walls gleamed under the light of the boat.

Victor shooed the chariot away, as it's flame was growing dimmer and dimmer each passing moment. Yuri shivered, and Victor couldn't help but pull his cloak a bit tighter around himself. Even though the light he gave out emitted a bit of heat, the darkness of the Night Realm was a bit too much for him to counter and the fresh breeze and chill seeped into his skin. He could only imagine how cold Yuri was.

Cold aside, the Night Realm was truly beautiful. The Day Kingdom was always sunny, clouds and blue skies everywhere, flowers blooming and color covering every inch of the place. But the simple colors of the night, the blues, blacks, silvers, grays, whites, and deep purples made for a beautiful picture. Water flowed throughout the courtyard, reflecting the starry sky above and it glittered as it flowed between the stepping stones that lead to a small cove. A small wooden bridge led them to the entrance to the palace, elegant ivory doors dotted with stars and engraved with scenes like a man being whisked of the heavens or a giant scorpion fleeing from a hunter.

Victor then noticed the two guards standing next to the doors, a tall, stocky man and a younger man with light brown hair and a beard which were gaping incredulously at him and Yuri. "Hello!" Victor waved, and the stocky man snapped out of his stupor. "K-King Victor! Prince Yuri! I- I assume you're here to see Lady Minako or Mari about relations with the Kingdom of Day?" He stuttered a bit. Victor laughed. "Not at all. I was actually here to see King Yuuri."

The other guard smiled. "Is this about those roses you keep sending him, your highness? He was a bit flustered this sunset to say the least," the guard chuckled a bit before the other one sent him a glare with a hiss of "Emil!" under his breath. The other guard bowed quickly. "I'll go get the King, or someone. Excuse me," and he hurried away. Yuri shivered again. Finally soft footfalls came from inside, and the Yuuri's herald, the Prince of Dawn came up accompanied with Lady Mari.

"King Victor! This is a surprise. And you brought the Prince of Dawn with you! Come inside," Phichit smiled. Yuri frowned a bit at seeing Dusk, but Victor smiled. "It's good to see you again Phichit."

Mari raised an eyebrow. "You've met before?" Phichit nodded. "The Equinox. You were probably with Minako talking with Lady Lilia and Lord Yakov."

Victor smiled. "I don't believe I've introduced Dawn. This is Prince Yuri," he said, pushing Yuri forward who was still hugging himself for warmth. Lady Mari studied Yuri. "Another Yuri, huh? Why don't we call you Yurio to avoid confusion?"

Yuri stared and Victor laughed. "I think that's a perfect idea."

"What?! But-!"

Phichit smiled. "It's only when King Yuuri is involved. Otherwise, you're just Yuri." Yuri frowned, then after a short moment of silence where all you could hear were footfalls and the chatter of nymphs and guards nearby he quickly changed the subject. "How are all of you wearing something sleeveless? It's freezing."

Victor took in what the two were wearing with surprise. He hadn't noticed that Phichit had traded out his usual attire for something simpler, a deep blue blouse with no sleeves and a long purple and blue skirt embroidered in silver. Lady Mari was wearing a simple, flowing, sleeveless dress and some simple sandals. Phichit was actually barefoot.

They looked at each other. "I guess it's a bit colder over here without sunlight. I never really thought about it," Phichit shrugged. "We can get you something warm if you want, Yurio." Yuri shrugged and Victor shot him a glare. "I'm sure he would appreciate it."

The group arrived at a large hall with a wall of glass that gave a large view of the Ocean of Dreams beyond, glimmering in the starlight. Stairs rose to some doors on the second floor, and soft orbs of silvery light in some sconces in the wall illuminated the room.

"Wow," Victor breathed. "So this is what the inside of the Moon Palace looks like. It's beautiful!"

Phichit beamed. "Just wait until you see the Star Cellar! You'll love it, it's one of the most beautiful places in the palace!"

"Victor we need to get going soon. When Yakov finds out that we're gone and Mila and Georgi aren't with you, he's-."

"You can see the Ocean of Dreams from here Yuri! I've never seen it before, isn't it wonderful?"

Yuri sighed. "I don't know why I even bother," he groaned. Victor was still ogling the shore when the door opened and the rush of footsteps and creak of armor alerted him of someone else's presence.

"Oh Gaia."

Yuuri's voice rang through the room and Victor whirled. And there he was. King Yuuri of the Night. Victor barely acknowledged the guard next to him, and _damn him,_ Yuuri was going to be the death of him. His blue skin was flushed, his breathing a bit heavy as if he ran. His feet were bare, coated with a thin layer of sand, and he was still holding his skirt, blue and embroidered with the constellations above them. The sleeves of his blouse ended at his elbows and was off the shoulders, the soft silver making him glow even more, and the cape that flowed from his back billowed in the fresh breeze that seemed to be everywhere.

Victor was rendered speechless. He had never seen anything more beautiful and frankly he felt a bit self-conscious that he hadn't worn anything more than his usual, comfortable attire.

Gaia above, he was a dead man.

Yuuri seemed a bit at a loss for words too, and looked helplessly at Mari, who slipped out of the room after giving Yuuri a thumbs up, then to Phichit, who was gleefully watching both of their reactions. He got the hint, winked at Yuuri, and then loudly said "What's that Yurio? You want to see the Star Cellar too? Why don't Otabek and I take you there?"

Otabek smiled softly and followed Phichit as he pushed a protesting Yurio out of the room. Yuuri gaped but Victor just waved. "Have a good time!"

Phichit smiled and sent Yuuri a wink and a "Good luck!" before closing the door.

That's when Victor turned to Yuuri.

Gaia help him.

Yuuri had no idea what to do.

The King of Day, the man he had admired for so long, the man he thought had hated him since the equinox, and the man that so many people thought was courting him with _roses every day_ was right next to him. And he seemed to be waiting for something.

Might as well cut straight to the point.

"Why are you here, King of Day?"

Okay that might have been a bit cold.

"Day? I was expecting that we knew each other well enough, but you won't call me by my name. And the... Did you even like the roses I sent you?"

Yuuri blushed. "I-I loved them. But then...

Where they really meant for me?"

Victor looked taken aback. "Of course. Who else could they be for?"

"Then you weren't dropping them by accident? It wasn't just a mistake?"

"Yuuri they've been on your throne for months, how cou-?"

"So they were meant for me, and no one else?"

Victor smiled warmly, and looked down at Yuuri, who hadn't realized they were practically nose to nose. When had they gotten so close?

"Yours and only yours my dear."

Yuuri could feel his face on fire, and he knew that if he looked the way he felt, he was probably almost purple. Then he realized that he had probably been insulting Victor for _months._

 _Oh Tartarus._

He bowed deeply. "My most sincere apologies," he said as he stood up. "My actions must have been horribly insulting. I'm sorry."

Victor laughed, and Yuuri couldn't help but stare at his smiling face. "It's completely fine, as long as you realize my intentions now." Yuuri choked.

"But I- Wait, y-y-your intentions?!" Yuuri stammered, blushing even more, if that was even possible.

"And of course, you did actually break my heart every day-"

"Break your heart!"

"-so I guess you'll have to make it up to me. For every rose you've given back, you get to spend a day with me in my Kingdom."

Yuuri blanched. He wasn't opposed to the idea, spending some time with Victor was a splendid thought, and it made sense to make it up to him, but-

"There were more than a dozen roses!"

"Then a dozen days, and more!" Victor said smiling and taking Yuuri's hand. "So what do you say, Yuuri?"

Yuuri froze at the proximity. He could barely even think, and more than a dozen days of spending his time at the Day Court seemed a bit exhausting, if everyone was as outspoken and straightforward as Victor and Yuri were. But spending time with Victor, in the court he had always admired like the humans below did, was an exciting idea too.

He was still wrapping his head around the idea when the door slammed open and Phichit yelped out "Say yes! YES!" before he was pulled back behind the door by Otabek.

"Thank you Phichit!"

Yuuri groaned inwardly, his face burning. Then he felt a gloved hand at his chin, and Victor, still holding Yuuri's hand, smiled at him, his hair shining in the starlight, his eyes gleaming with hope and something else. Yuuri blushed again.

"I heard what your herald has to say. But now I want to hear it from you, Yuuri."

Yuuri looked back up at Victor, gripped his hand tighter, and made up his mind.

"Yes."

Victor beamed and Phichit slammed open the door, squealing. Yuuri braced himself, and Phichit engulfed him in a hug. Otabek and Yuri were standing at the doorway, the guard smiling, and Yuri with his arms crossed under a new, white coat.

"Come on old man. You got what you wanted, now let's get going. It's almost sunset and we don't want another early leap year because of your slow ass."

"Of course Yurio."

"That stupid nickname better die once we get back to the Sky Court."

Victor laughed and started walking away, but Yuuri called out. "Wait."

He stopped and turned, looking at Yuuri with those startling blue eyes. Yuri turned when he noticed Victor wasn't with him. "Hurry up, old man!"

"Just a moment! What is it Yuuri?"

Yuuri leaned in and kissed Victor on the cheek softly, his hands framing Victor's face. Victor's skin was so soft, and Yuuri laughed a bit when he saw Victor's face flush red, his eyes wide with surprise. Then Victor leaned into his touch a bit, and Yuuri blushed. "That was a- a thank you for all the roses."

That's when Victor got a bit closer, his eyes shone a bit more. "Another leap year might not be so bad after all," he murmured softly and Yuuri yelped his heart racing. "Stop, wait! You have a sun to set!" Victor stopped, and sighed. "Right."

Yuri rolled his eyes. "This idiot. Now hurry up bef-."

"Oh, before I forget! This is for you," Victor grabbed a potted plant, and turned, holding it out to Yuuri. The other man smiled sadly, "I told you, flowers don't bloom in my realm." Victor just smiled again. "These were made specifically for you. I'm sure they won't wilt here."

Yuuri held them gingerly, and smiled warmly. No one had ever done something like this for him before. It was overwhelming how much Victor seemed to care for someone he barely knew, and Yuuri felt happier than he had in his whole life. "They're perfect."

Victor smiled. "I'm glad you like them. I think they're more beautiful than any flowers in my realm." Yuuri looked up in surprise. "Why would you think that?"

"Because they were made to be as beautiful as you are."

Yuuri stared, his stomach filled with those stupid moths again, and his heart couldn't stand still. Phichit could barely contain his squeal and from behind Victor, Yuri was crossing his arms, glaring at Victor. "OI VICTOR. Get your dreamy eyed ass over here, we have to go."

Victor tripped as Yuri snatched his cape and tugged, and Yuuri couldn't help but laugh. Victor smiled up at him, and Yuuri's breath caught in his throat as he saw Victor's eyes glitter with mirth.

"I'll see you tomorrow then, Yuuri," Victor said with a gentle voice.

"I'll see you tomorrow then, Victor."

Victor beamed as he heard his name leave Yuuri's lips for the first time and Yuuri felt like he was turning into a puddle of goo. Yuri let out an exasperated grunt, and tugged Victor along and out the room, and with a last wave, Victor left.

Phichit whooped, and Otabek smiled at Yuuri.

"Now you just have to get married and have some kids Yuuri! You've finally found someone and now those nymphs can stop bothering you."

Yuuri sputtered. "I-No! It's not like that."

 _"My intentions."_

"That could mean many things Phichit."

Phichit let out an exasperated groan. "Otabek help me out here." Otabek looked over at Phichit. "It's clear that King Yuuri has feelings for the King of Day, and I assume it's the same for the King of Day. He did leave you gifts every day your Highness."

"Where did he even get the idea of giving me roses?" Yuuri asked. "It's not something that I would think of."

"I hear that it's a common thing to give roses to the one you love down in the human realm. Maybe Victor got the idea from a human couple when he was up in the Sky Court," Phichit remarked. Yuuri ran a hand through his hair. He would've done the same thing if he was courting Victor.

 _Courting Victor? Where did that come from?_

Yuuri shook his head and sighed. "It's not going to happen Phichit. It was insulting that I returned the roses and I'm staying in the Day Kingdom as recompense. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go get ready for the moonrise," he said as he began walking away, his flowers in hand. Phichit called out after him but he closed the doors. Otabek followed him, but Yuuri waved him away, claiming he wanted some time by himself to get ready. Otabek nodded, and walked back to Phichit.

Yuuri made it to his room and closed the door. He set the flowers down at his bedside, making sure the moonlight hit them, and went up to get some fresh clothes, as the ones he was wearing smelled like seawater and were damp from the sea air. But he couldn't concentrate. The fragrance of the flowers, every glance at them sent those moths a-flutter. Finally he sat down on his bed, his head buried in his hands.

 _"He's a love-struck idiot."_

It seemed Victor wasn't the only one.

But would it last?

No. It wouldn't. Yuuri knew it, he knew it wouldn't last and didn't want Phichit and Otabek to smile and support him when they found out he was in love with the King of Day, to support him when he ended up rambling on about Victor. That was why he denied everything to them, because he didn't need the pitiful looks, the hugs after Victor realized that Yuuri wasn't whoever Victor thought he was and ended up breaking his heart.

Yuuri was in love with Victor. But he knew that Victor was in love with an image, a fantasy of Yuuri. He wasn't good enough for Victor and Victor would realize that soon, just like all the humans realized that Day was worth so much more than Night.

But Yuuri would make the little time he had left with Victor's love count.

He was ecstatic. Yuuri was going to join him in the Kingdom of Day, and Victor was going to spend more time with him than ever before.

Victor had scrambled through his closet for hours before he had finally decided on an outfit, a pale blue loose fitting shirt with golden embroidery and a golden skirt that opened at the front to reveal white pants underneath. Chris had teased him mercilessly, especially when he began to argue about whether or not to put on his crown, feeling that it was too gaudy for someone as simple and elegant as Yuuri. He decided to leave it behind.

So there he was, waiting for the moon-rise and the moon-rise meant Yuuri. He had left the sun in the Day Kingdom and was waiting with his chariot at the entrance to the Sky Court. Yuri was waiting impatiently next to him, tapping his fingers against his arms as Phichit announced Yuuri's arrival -which sent Victor's heart racing by the way- and the moon rose slowly in the sky.

Phichit was the first to notice them, Yuuri deep in conversation with his guard Otabek. He waved to Victor and Yuri, a cheerful grin on his face. "Hello Victor! Hi Yurio!"

Yuri clicked his tongue against his teeth in distaste. Victor just smiled and waved back. "Hi Phichit! How are you?"

"Fine thanks. Um, can I talk to you for a little bit?"

Victor nodded, then noticed Phichit's pointed look at the blond leaning against the chariot. He walked behind a pillar, Victor in tow, and turned with a serious look on his face, something Victor never would've thought he would've seen on Phichit's eternally cheerful face.

"What's wrong?"

Phichit looked over at Yuuri, who was still in deep conversation with his guard, to make sure he was out of earshot, then turned back to Victor. "It's about Yuuri."

Victor immediately straightened out. "What is it?"

"I don't want him to get hurt."

 _Hurt?_ Victor would never dream of hurting Yuuri. Why would Phichit think such a thing?

"Who would hurt him?"

Phichit looked up at him. "The people in your court. Jealous nymphs. Maybe even you."

"I would never-."

"I never said intentionally Victor. It's just..." Phichit looked back at his friend with a worried fondness in his eyes, "the Night and Day are nothing alike. Yuuri's used to us, used to a more subdued place. He's comfortable in the nighttime, and I don't want anything to happen to Yuuri because the people in the Day Kingdom say something or do something that's unusual to him or offend him because they don't know what's offensive or not with our kingdom. He's our _king_ Victor. No one wants him hurt."

Victor smiled. "I'll make sure of it. If he wants to go back before sunrise or even not come at all, I won't force him."

Phichit looked relieved. "Thank you. Now get going and try not to put Yurio in between you two love birds. He doesn't seem to be the kind of person to enjoy that," he said with a wink. Victor blushed a bit but laughed at the image of Yuri's reaction of getting stuck between two "love birds".

He was waiting with Yuri and Phichit near the chariot when Yuuri and Otabek finally walked over. Victor smiled a bit when Yuri straightened up from his sulking a bit but Yuri ignored him. Yuuri smiled at Victor, a bit shyly, a light blush dusting his cheeks. Otabek bowed to Victor.

"King Victor, if I might ask a favor?" Otabek said, Yuuri flushing a bit more, and looking at his guard out of the corner of his eyes. "Of course. What is it?"

"Since I can't leave the Sky Court or the Night Realm, I would appreciate it if one of your guards was with King Yuuri when necessary."

Victor nodded. "Of course. I c-"

"I'd be glad to get rid of Georgi and assign him to guard Yuuri. Georgi is a dramatic pain in the ass anyways," Yuri said, seeming a bit bored, but Victor smiled at Yuri knowingly. Yuri just hissed at him.

"Thank you Prince Yuri, but I'd rather not take away your security," Otabek said. Victor cut in as Yuri frowned, not wanting Yuri's brash mouth to destroy any chances of friendship with the stoic guard. "If Yuuri is going to be spending most of his time with me or Yurio-" Yuri hissed at that, "then Mila can just guard him as well. He'll be safe with us, I can assure you that."

Otabek seemed a bit more at ease, and nodded thankfully. Phichit then clapped his hands. "Well, you have until dawn you two. Make the most of your time!" He threw a meaningful look at Yuuri, who glared back, while Yuri and Victor got into the chariot. Yuuri looked up at Victor, then a bit nervously at the fiery chariot and the other king laughed. "It won't burn you, I promise. Just don't pet the horses, those are actually hot for someone other than me," Victor said smiling, holding his hand out for Yuuri.

Yuuri grabbed his hand a bit tentatively, and Victor marveled again at how soft his skin was, the blue stark against his own pale hand. Yuuri hoisted himself up into the chariot, and Victor turned to the reins. "Hold on Yuuri. It's a bit different than traveling by boat."

He flicked the reins, and the horses surged into the sky. Yuuri yelped at the jolt and held on to Victor tightly, his arms wrapped around his waist, Yuuri's head buried into Victor's shoulder. Victor laughed and Yuuri looked up at him eyes wide, flushed, but a small frown on his face. "Don't laugh!" Victor smiled and held his hands up in surrender, but then turned quickly when the chariot dipped, the horses going a bit wild when they felt the slack reins. Yuuri let out a strangled sound and Yuri smacked Victor. "Watch what you're doing old man! You're going to burn the mortal lands if you screw around like that."

Victor laughed again as he straightened out. Yuuri held on a bit tighter at the sound, and Victor hoped Yuuri didn't hear his breath catch in his throat. Yuri, on the other hand, did notice and rolled his eyes, leaning on one elbow on the railing of the chariot, looking out at the mortal lands. "Idiot," he muttered in Russian and Victor raised an eyebrow. A few of the members of his court had found they favored a certain part of the world and decided they wanted to live like them, and speak their language. Victor, Mila, Georgi, Yakov, Lilia, and Yuri had all been interested in the part of the world called Russia, and all spoke the language, and Yuri had made it a habit to slip into Russian when he wanted to insult someone.

Victor smirked. "Angry kitten," he retorted, slipping into the language too, and Yuri hissed. Yuuri looked up curiously. "What are you saying? That doesn't sound like the language we speak."

"It's not. We were interested in Russia, down in the mortal lands, so we decided to learn how to speak the language. It's fascinating really, how many languages the mortals use to communicate."

Yuuri nodded. "My court does the same thing, though a large part speaks Japanese, like me. Phichit was more interested in Thai though, and Otabek speaks Kazakh and a bit of Russian too."

Victor noticed that the Day Kingdom was in view, gave out another warning and began his descent. He noticed Yuuri tensing up, and when he glanced back, he saw that Yuuri was wincing and squinting, holding up a hand to cover his face in the sunlight. They landed quickly and Victor and Yuuri stepped out of the chariot, but Yuuri hesitated, his hand still covering his face, and fanning himself.

"Yuuri, are you alright?"

"It's not- It's too bright. I can't see and it's very hot." He then proceeded to cover his mouth with his hand and blush with embarrassment.

Victor cursed himself. If the Night Kingdom was the perfect temperature for Yuuri, and even _Victor_ got cold, then the Day Kingdom was going to be a bloody inferno for Yuuri. And for someone who lived in constant nighttime, lit only by the soft light of the moon, then of course the constant sunny days of Victor's kingdom were going to be blinding.

"No no, it's perfectly fine Yuuri. We can find you something to help you see better. If you want I could probably lend you some clothes too?"

Yuuri smiled. "I would appreciate that, but I think that the clothes would be a bit too much. I can just take off some of my clothes." Victor froze and Yuuri seemed to realize what he said. "I didn't! No, no no no no, that's not what I meant, I could take off my cape and I have a shirt under this-" he said frantically pointing to the dark blue shirt, "and another layer of skirts under this one." Yuuri was practically purple in the face, and so incredibly flustered it was kind of adorable. Yuri groaned. "I'll go get a veil or hat or something for him. In the meanwhile, bring him inside dumbass. There's less sunlight in there."

Victor held out his arm and Yuuri linked it with his own. They walked inside, and even though Yuuri didn't squint as much, he kept his hand up. "Um. Do you have a place I could possibly change?"

Victor nodded and led him to an empty guest room that he had prepared beforehand. He made it to look a bit more like the Night Realm, silvery, simple, and dim lighted. He even had new curtains made that blocked out the sun. "I guess you could call this your room for now, if you ever need some time alone or just want to relax."

Yuuri stared at him a bit, in surprise it seemed. "T- Thank you. You really didn't have to do this, Victor."

He smiled. "It was my pleasure to do so. If you're going to be spending your time here then you might as well be comfortable." Yuuri blushed, and Victor walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. He waited quietly, and when Yuri returned with a veil in hand, he waited too. Yuuri eventually walked out in a black shirt fairly tight against the chest, no starry cape, and his old starry skirt replaced with a shimmering blue gauzy material that seemed a bit darker with another black skirt underneath. Victor's breath caught in his throat as he saw the skirt. That was the same exact material that the gauzy, see-through shirt from the banquet was made of.

It seemed that no matter how he wore it, Yuuri always looked good in it.

Yuri cleared his throat and handed the veil to Yuuri. The other man took it, gave him a quick thanks, and then put it on his head, setting it in place with his circlet of stars. Victor could still see Yuuri's face, though with a bit more difficulty, but he saw how Yuuri smiled up at him through the veil.

"Well, let's get going. I want to show you around the castle," Victor chirped, and Yuuri linked his arm through Victor's own. Yuri walked next to them, but groaned when they rounded a corner and ran into an out of breath Georgi. Next to him Mila was laughing herself hoarse. "I don't know how you lose him so easily! Yuri wouldn't give me this much trouble if _I_ was his guard."

Both Georgi and Yuri scowled. "How would you know? You've only ever guarded Victor," Georgi remarked. Mila shrugged. "Victor can still be a pain too. No offense," she said turning back to Victor. He just shrugged. "None taken. But please, enlighten me to how I am a pain."

Mila laughed and looked at Yuuri. "If you're going to be spending most of your time with him, then you'll definitely feel my suffering. And no, Yuri, you do not feel my pain because you, my friend, are just a grumpy kitten," she said, glancing back at Yuri with a sparkle in her eyes as he promptly turned red.

Victor and Yuuri laughed.

Yuuri was not used to the Day Kingdom and its court. At all.

It was beautiful, he couldn't deny that. The view from the chariot as they had descended was breathtaking, the turrets and parapets of the castle with the meadows and flowers around it and the River of Thought flowing around it all left Yuuri speechless. But the sunlight, and the heat was a bit overwhelming, and even now with just a simple, thin shirt and skirt he was a bit hot. The veil was an extreme help and he was eternally thankful of Yuri and Victor.

 _Yuri and Victor._ They were a bit overwhelming at first, but he managed to get used to their loud demeanors, and frankly, Victors eternally cheerful personality was endearing. Yuri's eternally irritated personality could be quite funny too, such as right now, his reddening face at the female guard's -he guessed it was Mila- insults and everyone else's laughter was a bit amusing.

The other guard, Georgi he assumed, was smiling too. "I guess you'd like to continue showing King Yuuri around then?"

Victor nodded, and they set off, through large, earthy halls, passing lavish rooms and large windows that showed off a distant garden. Every once in a while someone passed them, a nymph or some other spirit. Occasionally, Victor or someone else pointed out some interesting part of the castle, until they arrived at a room, with lavish doors that shimmered with every color. "There's someone I want you to meet. You'll be seeing him around a lot when you're here," Victor said with a smile. "He better be decent this once," Yuri grumbled under his breath, and Mila laughed, while Georgi winced.

Victor knocked, and after a few seconds the door opened. Yuuri's immediate attention went, not to the man standing in the doorway, but the dog that was barreling straight at Victor and Yuuri. "Makkachin, no!" Victor cried out, but the dog tackled them anyways, knocking them down. Yuuri landed on his back with a small _oof!_ but he began laughing as the poodle began to lick his now uncovered face. Georgi and Mila hauled Makkachin off of Yuuri, and Victor helped him to his feet. "I am so sorry Yuuri. See Makka? Now he's all wet you silly dog!"

A laugh from the doorway startled Yuuri. "Stop scolding the poor thing. He's just excited to see someone new. Your company gets boring after a while Victor."

Yuri let out an exasperated groan. "Seriously Chris? Can you wear something decent for once in your life?" Yuuri turned, and had to do a double take. A blond man with scruff was standing in the doorway, but he was _shirtless._ He had a pair of paint stained black pants on though, and Yuuri thanked the gods that Chris wasn't completely undressed.

Victor sent Chris a fake hurt look. "Chris you wound me. Makkachin always enjoys my company. So do you if I recall correctly."

Chris laughed, his green eyes flashing, then turned to Yuuri. "Hello Yuuri. It's a pleasure seeing you," he said with a smile that quickly turned mischievous. "It seems like you two enjoyed yourselves. Victor, you're not the reason Yuuri's suddenly wearing less clothes than he usually does, are you?"

Yuuri's face heated up, and his heart beat frantically at what Chris was insinuating. Victor was pink, and he looked mortified, sending Chris a glare. Behind them, Mila burst into laughter again and even Georgi smiled a bit, and Yuri let out a sound of disgust. "Seriously Chris? That's gross and _some_ of us don't find that funny."

"More like some of you don't have a sense of humor," Chris shot back with a smirk. Yuri hissed at him. Yuuri cleared his throat quickly and turned back to Chris, his face still hot. "I assume you're the Painter of the Day Kingdom?"

Chris gave a bow. "The one and only. Though Makkachin does help every once in a while. That's when you see those Sun Dogs up in the sky. Does your own Painter have his dog? I recall seeing a few Moon Dogs every once in a while too."

Yuuri nodded, but he felt his smile fade a bit at the thought of Seung-gil. "He does actually. I do too, but Vicchan sneaks away to go help Seung-gil and his dog almost every night."

Victor's eyes twinkled with delight. "What's your dog like?" Yuuri almost laughed at the child-like curiosity in Victor's eyes. "He's a lot like Makkachin actually. They're the same breed, but Vicchan is a bit browner."

"They should meet! That would be adorable and Yuri can bring along Potya!"

Yuri frowned. "I'm not bringing her along to your dog meet and greet, especially if there's going to be a third dog involved. She can just stay here with Chris and _his_ cat."

Mila smirked. "Of course Potya isn't tagging along. Makka and the other dogs will be much too civilized for that mangy alley cat," she retorted. Yuri scowled and hissed at her, but Mila just winked at him.

Chris muttered something to Victor in another language, and Victor blushed but sent back a scathing retort. Chris just laughed, and waved his arm to show the rest of the hall. "I'm guessing you want to keep on going with your tour, so I won't stop you. See you later!" He winked at Victor one last time, and then retreated back into his rooms.

Victor sent a fond glare towards the closed doors, then extended his arm to Yuuri again. Yuuri walked next to him as they approached a set of wide double doors, and when they walked through them, his breath caught in his throat.

They were in the garden Yuuri had caught a glimpse of beforehand, and nothing would've prepared Yuuri for the sheer amount of color. Makkachin, who had followed them from Chris' room, barked and bounded off into the bushes, ignoring Victor's calls. He sighed, and laughed. "Hopefully he doesn't eat another bee," he said to Yuuri, who just nodded, but kept on staring with wide eyes at the flora that bloomed all around him.

Lilies, Roses, Daisies, Orchids, Birds of Paradise, Tulips, Babies Breath, Carnations, Daffodils, Chrysanthemums, Dahlias, Hyacinths, Bluebonnets, Hydrangeas, Peonies, Sunflowers, Poppies, Honeysuckle and other flowers that Yuuri didn't know were in full bloom, painting the earth in blues, reds, yellows, purples, whites, pinks, oranges, colors that you would never see in the Night Kingdom. Yuuri was absolutely speechless. Around him trees towered high above, their branches reaching up to the sky in a lifelong mission for more sunlight, and the smell of fruit, sweet and ripe for the picking permeated the air. Bees and butterflies fluttered through the air, and Yuuri laughed as a butterfly landed on his outstretched hand.

"It's beautiful," he managed to choke out, still in awe. Victor smiled. "It's the pride of the Day Kingdom."

"Chris is amazing if he manages to do all of this," Yuuri breathes. "You would never see anything like this in my realm."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why wouldn't you see anything like this in the Night Realm?"

Yuuri looked away, wringing his hands. Seung-gil and his refusal to do more than the bare minimum was a bit of a touchy subject for the entirety of the Night Realm and it's court, and Yuuri didn't want to ruin a so-far nice visit to the Day Kingdom. Victor immediately picked up on his discomfort. "It's fine, you don't have to answer if it makes you uncomfortable. I'm sorry for being so forward."

He smiled thankfully. "Let's keep going on the tour shall we?"

Victor nodded, and their little group of people kept on walking. Yuuri saw every last bit of the castle, from the training room where Mila and Georgi sparred, the docks at the River of Thought where they saw Michele and his twin Sara bickering. Sara sent a shy wave to Mila, and Yuri gagged when Mila blushed. Yuuri saw the library, the second studio where Chris worked every once in a while, a second, smaller set of gardens, Victor's rooms, Yuri's rooms, to which Yuri retreated, all of the living areas, a training area that was empty and had two walls of mirrors, a large pool, and many lounges with balconies with amazing views. The stables were a quick visit, completely fire proof. Then Victor shooed Mila away, who sent Victor a look, before declaring that she was going to go save Sara from her brothers clutches.

He held open a door, revealing a set of spiraling stairs, and Yuuri began to climb up, his skirts swishing softly on the stone steps. Victor followed, the door clicking shut behind him, and when they finally reached the top, he opened a trap door on the roof. A ladder fell down, and Victor climbed up, Yuuri following.

At the top, Victor hoisted himself through another trapdoor, and held out his hand to help Yuuri through. Yuuri wobbled to his feet on the uneven floor, and Victor held on to him tightly as he faced away from Victor. That's when Yuuri yelped and scrambled to grab onto Victor, wrapping his arms around his neck. Victor laughed. "It's fine Yuuri, I won't let you fall. I've done this multiple times. It's actually my favorite place in the palace."

Yuuri could see why. The view from the roof of the tallest tower was beautiful, sunlight, and green meadows, and colorful flowers, the river sparkling before fading from sight...

"It reminds me of how lucky I am to have all this. An entire Kingdom to rule," Victor said, his voice soft and loving. Yuuri looked at Victor, his heart racing. His face was soft, a small smile on his face, and his eyes, matching the color of the sky above them, were glittering as they looked out at his kingdom. Then he noticed Yuuri's staring, and turned that gaze to him, and Yuuri melted under his eyes. He gulped, turned away from those blue eyes, and looked out again.

Victor smiled. "Come on. It's almost sunrise, so we should get you back to the Sky Court."

Yuuri's heart sank. He wanted more time with Victor, but the moon had to be set, and the sun had to rise. He highly doubted that a distraction was something that Victor would appreciate, and he would probably be more of an annoyance than anything else. So Yuuri nodded, and together they walked back down and out into the courtyard where Yuri and Mila were waiting, the chariot behind them.

"Come on Victor. He's going to miss the moon set because you two were too busy flirting wherever you were," Yuri said, crossing his arms. Victor winked at him, saying something in Russian, and Yuri turned red and looked away, muttering something at him under his breath. Victor laughed, and got in the chariot, holding out a hand to help Yuuri up. Mila and Yuri clambered in after them, and Yuuri was surprised the chariot still held them all comfortably.

Victor flicked the reins, and the chariot surged up into the sky. Yuuri was just as surprised as last time, and he yelped, reaching out and grabbing Victor's sleeve. Victor pulled him in and Yuuri blushed as Victor's arms encircled him as they held onto the reins, but being in Victor's arms made Yuuri feel safe.

Yuuri didn't want to get out of Victor's embrace or the chariot once they got to the Sky Court, but Phichit's elated shout as they landed made Victor let go of the reins, and step back so Yuuri could get back down.

Yuuri stepped out of the carriage and instantly, Phichit was at his side. Yuuri took off the veil and made to hand it to Victor, who looked at it in surprise. "It's fine, keep it. We don't have a need for a veil over there."

"Thank you," Yuuri said, smiling. Phichit tugged on Yuuri's arm. "As much as I hate to interrupt your romance, you have a moon to set Yuuri," he stage whispered, and Yuuri blushed, but turned. He looked over his shoulder at Victor, who was looking at him. "See you tomorrow, Victor."

"See you tomorrow, Yuuri."

And Yuuri left the Sky Court, moon in tow, still feeling Victor's blue gaze on his back. They boarded the barge to the Night Realm, and once they were out of view, Yuuri felt Phichit turn to him expectantly. Yuuri looked at Phichit. "What?"

"You know what," Phichit said, smiling. "You're gone for a single night and you come back all cuddly and in Victor's arms. So what happened?"

"Nothing. We toured the castle and met his close friends. He has a poodle that looks just like Vicchan."

"Did you spend a lot of time in his bedroom? Is it big? Is the bed comfy?"

Yuuri let out a distressed noise. "No! I saw it, yes, but he gave me my own bedroom if I wanted some time alone," Yuuri stammered out, and glared when Phichit winked. "You'll get there eventually Yuuri," Phichit teased, and Yuuri glared at his friend, who ignored him.

"What about the veil?"

Yuuri looked down at the soft fabric in his hands. "The sunlight is too strong for me. It was my first time exposed to strong sunlight, so Victor offered a veil or hat."

Phichit smiled, and examined Yuuri. "You look really happy. I'm glad. So when's the wedding?"

"Phichit," Yuuri hissed. Phichit laughed. Then he examined Yuuri closer, raising an eyebrow. Yuuri looked at him, confused. "What is it?"

"You look different. There's less stars in your outfit. Did you change?"

Yuuri blanched. "Oh no."

"'Oh no' what?"

"I left the rest of my clothes over in the Day Kingdom," Yuuri said, then snapped his mouth shut when he say Phichit's expression. "So I'm guessing you spent time in _your_ room and not Victor's."

"No, its not- that's not what happened!" Yuuri said, exasperated. "The Day Kingdom has a different climate compared to the Night Realm, and I had extra layers on that are made for the temperature at home. It's just really hot to me, even if the temperature is perfect for Victor."

"I know what else is really hot to you."

"PHICHIT!"


End file.
